True Feelings
by Shadow Angel
Summary: Margie turning eighteen, a marriage proposal, and Bart missing from the scenes. How does Billy Lee Black get dragged into this? A Margie/Billy friendship fic.


Author's Note: Yes, as you can all probably tell, I'm really interested in the Bart/Margie relationship... ^_^ Not to mention the deep friendship Billy and Margie could have. And with Billy being one of my fave characters, (not to mention Margie), this is what results from that and a very long night crammed with homework and several cups of coffee. Sleep deprivement can sometimes be a good thing... ^_~  
  
  
  
*Disclaimer*: Xenogears, as you all know, belongs to a very powerful company called Squaresoft. If you didn't know this, WHICH CAVE DID YOU JUST CRAWL OUT OF?! ^_~  
  
  
  
  
True Feelings  
  
Billy Lee Black, ex-Etone, expert gunman, and one of the Heroes that had helped save the world, was exhausted. He had never felt so weary in his life; even when he'd spent most of his time on the road and sleeping on the hard, cold ground back in the old days with the rest of the group.   
  
His day had been spent teaching the children in the Orphanage/School that the Great Mother had decided to build in Nisan a couple of years ago, and he was dead tired. The children had been way too energetic today. They had done all the curiosity-provoked mistakes you expected a kid to do in the span of their entire childhood (approximately twelve years...) all in the timeframe of eight hectic hours. It was nerve-wracking and mind-numbing to say the least.  
  
Now, he was finally reaching his small house and he was looking forward to a nice nap before getting up for dinner. He planned to sleep like the dead till then.  
  
His house was a small structure in the pretty streets of Nisan. It was close to the Orphanage, should he ever be needed for an emergency (it had happened about twenty times already, ALWAYS in the dead of night. Not to mention all those times he had been woken up on false alarms that usually ended up as nothing more than a one of the kids having a nightmare...).  
  
He opened his front door, yawning and dropping his heavy canvas bag on the floor without much notice. Walking to the kitchen, he randomly took out some meat from the cold locker and left it on his sink to thaw. He didn't even look at what it was as he left the kitchen and headed for his room.  
  
He was _so_ ready to take that nap...  
  
Just as he reached his room, a knock sounded on the front door. Billy growled under his breath and briefly thought about ignoring whoever it was... but the infernal knocking sounded again and he knew it probably wouldn't stop until he answered it.  
  
Swearing uncharacteristically under his breath, the ex-Etone stomped over to the door and threw it open, expecting anything from an angry neighbor who had fallen for one of the kid's pranks, to one of the Sisters holding an injured child, to a messenger saying that monsters had been sighted nearby and _he_ needed to take care of it.  
  
What he hadn't expected was Margie to be standing on his doorstep. A very ANGRY looking Margie, to boot.  
  
"Uh... Can I help you?" he wondered.  
  
Margie "humph'ed" and pushed pass him, stepping into his house. "We need to talk," she called over her shoulder as she familiarly made her way towards the kitchen.   
  
Baffled beyond belief, he closed the door behind him and followed her. He found her in the kitchen, where she was already pacing.   
  
"What do we need to talk about, exactly?" he wondered as he stood in the doorway and noticed all the pent up energy she had. He knew that when Margie was _this_ angry, something was definitely not right.   
  
"Sit," was all she said, not even looking at him.  
  
Heaving a sigh, he went over to a chair and sat obediently. He'd just have to wait until she was ready to share...  
  
Billy crossed his arms and watched patiently as Margie stalked back and forth within the confines of his small kitchen. He did nothing but yawn a bit as she continued her pacing and the ocassional dark mutter under her breath.  
  
"I can't believe him!" she finally erupted, her fists banging against her thighs angrily. "How can he do this?! How can he have the NERVE to do this to me?! What was he THINKING?! Or was he thinking at all?! Ugh!"   
  
She pulled at her long brown hair in frustration and suddenly stopped pacing, turning to Billy. "How could he, Billy?" she demanded of him, her dark sapphire eyes suddenly anguished.  
  
Billy regarded her with a small frown and briefly wondered if he could get any gray hairs at the young age of eighteen. ~The way these people expect me to know _everything_...~ he thought sourly.   
  
"Maybe I'd give you a better response if you actually _told_ me what you're so angry about, hmm?" he suggested calmly.  
  
"THIS is what I'm so angry about," she growled, pulling out a letter from the pocket of her trousers and tossing it his way before she began pacing again.  
  
Billy picked up the envelope that landed on his lap and studied it curiously. The wax seal on the back had been broken, but he could still make out the Aveh Throne insignia. He opened the flap and pulled out a thick, folded paper. Unfolding the letter, he began reading.  
  
"The Aveh Throne has carefully weighed and thought the  
proposal through and has decided that best decision for  
both kingdoms would be to refuse the proposal-"  
  
Billy stopped reading right there and looked up at Margie in confusion. "What does this mean exactly?"  
  
"It means," the Great Mother snarled, "that that huge dumbass who is currently the ruler of Aveh has REFUSED to marry me! Can you believe it?! Can you BELIEVE he refused?!"  
  
Billy couldn't really. It was . . . like going against nature.   
  
Even though the young ruler had not once confessed his feelings for Margie to her (or anyone else, for that matter), Billy had always known for a fact that Bart loved her. Deeply. So why was he all of sudden refusing the one chance he had at being happy with the girl? Billy knew Margie had counted on this to be the push Bart needed to finally fess up his feelings for her. And now he popped out with _this_?  
  
"So what are you going to do?" he inquired with raised eyebrows. As soon as she turned to him, he regretted asking. He most certainly did _not_ like the look she was giving him.  
  
"We're going to Aveh to get to the bottom of this!"  
  
The alarm immediately went off in his head after she uttered the first word.  
  
"We?" he managed weakly. Why did _he_ have to be included?  
  
"Yes, Billy. WE. You have to be there. You're one of my best friends now. Besides," she continued, coming over to him and pulling him to his feet. "I need a ride on your Gear."  
  
He groaned and barely managed to stuff the letter in his pocket before she began dragging him out of his house and towards the busy streets of Nisan. "But Margie, I can't right now!" he protested. "I had plans!"  
  
"Billy, taking a nap and then having a lone chicken dinner does not constitute as 'plans'!"  
  
"It wasn't chicken, it was beef!"  
  
She turned and gave him a withering glare that had him shutting his mouth and following meekly behind her.  
  
"Just out of curiosity, mind you, but what happens to me if I refuse to go?" he asked after a while.   
  
"In the event that you _do_ refuse, I'll share with Maria some of the more _interesting_ parts of that conversation we had the other evening," she said cheerily as they made their way out the city gates and toward the Underground Dock.  
  
Billy blanched at her threat and was forced to swallow. "You wouldn't."  
  
"Try me."  
  
He stared at her for a while, trying to decide if she really would. When she turned and gave him an impish grin, he had to admit she probably would. He sighed. "Fine."  
  
She nodded as if she knew that would be his answer and turned back to the road.   
  
Billy glared at her back and sorrowfully wondered when he'd get some peace.  
  
"Why don't you just tell her, Billy?" she asked after a while of his sullen silence.  
  
"No."  
  
"But why not? For all you know, Maria probably feels the same way about you as you do about her."  
  
"No. Butt out already."  
  
"Okay," she shrugged. "I'm just trying to give you some friendly advice."  
  
"Why don't you take your own advice? You haven't told Bart how YOU feel."  
  
She turned and gave him a considering look. "Touche'."  
  
*********************************************  
  
They arrived in Aveh an hour later and Margie immediately went through the crowded streets of Bledavik towards the palace. She hadn't been here in a couple of months and the sight of the redecorated castle normally brought a smile of nostalgia to her face.   
  
Not today, though. Today was all about getting things straight. She'd get an explanation out of Bart even if she had to strangle it out of him. This was not acceptable. In the last year and a half since things had calmed down in the world and Deus had been obliterated, she had not really expected anything from him.   
  
But now, as her eighteenth birthday neared, the law stated she _had_ to marry. All that had been keeping the wedding back was her being under-aged. Well, that and Bart's stubborness. Now that her birthday was less than five months away, the ceremony had to start being planned.  
  
Margie hadn't really known how to feel when she found out about the upcoming wedding. Part of her had been happy because now Bart and she would be together at last. Just like she'd always wished. But part of her had also been nervous. Scared. Afraid that Bart didn't really love her as she so firmly hoped he did. That he wouldn't want to marry her; a tomboy who was sometimes even more reckless than he was.  
  
And when she had received that letter, she was so scared that what she dreaded more than death itself had somehow come true... So she immediately covered it up with her fury.  
  
"Margie! Would you wait up!"  
  
She turned from where she was standing at the Palace's front entrance and saw Billy running up the steps that led to the huge, open double-doors; trying to catch up to her. He came to a ragged halt in front of her and bent down to catch his breath, his pale face flushed a bit under Aveh's harsher sun and hot winds. The guy _was_ used to living close to the ocean, where the weather was cooler.  
  
He glanced up at her and gave her an accusing glare. "Couldn't wait for me to properly park my Gear, could you?"  
  
"Not when Bart's on my hit list," she shrugged, turning back to contemplate the door.   
  
People from the kingdom strode in and out of the Palace like it was a museum. She liked how approachable Bart and Sig had made the throne they both shared jointly. That had been decided a year ago when Bart had said it was stupid for him to take the throne, when Sigurd was the firstborn son. After a bit of convincing, Sig had finally agreed to this. It made things in Aveh a lot better.   
  
Now, if anyone had problems, they came straight here. The downside to this, though, was that a lot more security was necessary on the Palace grounds now.  
  
"Aren't we going in?" Billy asked after she just lingered outside the doors for a while. She had seemed all gung-ho before, and now she just stood there, chewing on her bottom lip. Was she getting nervous?  
  
But Margie squared her shoulders and clenched her fists. "Of course. Come on."  
  
She marched in and Billy quickly followed her. At the entrance they were stopped momentarily by a couple of guards.  
  
"State your business," they intoned.  
  
"I'm here to see his Royal Highness," Margie announced.  
  
"For what purpose?" They didn't even ask which one. Either was supposed to be available.  
  
"To discuss a proposal."  
  
"You may head towards the Main Hall." And they moved aside to let them pass.  
  
Margie and Billy stepped into the cool interior of the castle and walked towards another set of double doors ahead of them.  
  
"Bart and Sig must've gotten some new guards. The others usually recognized us," Billy mused. Margie's frown only deepened.   
  
She opened the double doors and stomped into the room where she expected to find Bart. Instead, they found Sigurd sitting on his throne beside the empty one. He was talking to a couple of people and when he saw who had arrived, his sapphire eye widened and he hurriedly finished his conversation with the man and woman in front of him. The couple nodded at what he said and began leaving, walking past Margie and Billy and out the doors.  
  
"Marguerite, Billy, so good to see you," Sigurd said, coming forward to clasp each their hands in turn.  
  
"Hey, Siggy," Billy greeted, making use of the old nickname.  
  
Margie gave him a brief hug, but then immediately got to the point. "Where is HE?"  
  
Sigurd looked confused for moment and blinked. "You mean, he isn't with you? He didn't go to Nisan?"  
  
"Uh, no, Sig," Billy replied. "We haven't seen Bart since our last visit to Aveh about two months ago..."  
  
"You mean the jerk DISAPPEARED?!" Margie demanded in disbelief. ~Oh heavens, first he jilts me and then he disappears completely?! This is a hundred times worse than what I feared...~  
  
"Well, he couldn't have disappeared," Sigurd said, trying to reassure her. "He's probably... out visiting Fei..."  
  
"Then he would have come to Nisan, where Fei and Elly _live_ at. Only Billy and I know they went to visit Melchior," Margie retorted. Oh God, this was getting her REALLY annoyed. And scared, too...  
  
"Then, he must be visiting someone else... Rico or Maria or Citan. No wait, Citan lives in Nisan, too..." Sigurd trailed off. "Then that leaves Kislev and Shevat. He could be at either of those places."  
  
Margie clenched her teeth and turned on her heel, stalking off. "See you later, Sig. I have to go find your missing ruling partner," she called as a way of saying goodbye.  
  
"Wait, Marguerite," Sigurd called after her. "You received the letter right?"  
  
Margie only slammed the door on her way out as a response.  
  
"Why is she so angry?"  
  
Billy met Sigurds confused and questioning gaze and shook his head. It was a loooong story that would have to be saved till later, his expression said before he ran after Margie.  
  
**************************************************  
  
They could not find the missing ex-pirate anywhere.  
  
Arriving in Kislev had brought them no closer to finding the guy's location. Rico had informed them that Bart had not shown up there, but if he did, they'd be the first to know.   
  
Shevat was as much of a dead end as Kislev had been. Zephyr and Maria assured them that no one but them two had visited Shevat in the past month.  
  
When Margie began dragging Billy away to continue their search (much to Billy's protests), Zephyr had kindly pointed out that it was already dark outside, so why not spend the night and continue early tomorrow?  
  
Margie grudgingly gave in and even smiled when Billy gave her that grateful squeeze on the hand. At least _he_ was happy...  
  
Margie immediately retired to the guest room they gave her. Billy's sleepiness had apparently fled at the sight of Shevat (or more accurately, Maria) because he didn't even glance at his bed when they showed him his room. He quickly disappeared to walk down the corridors with the pretty almost-sixteen year old.  
  
Margie lay in her comfy bed and stared up at the ceiling, wearing a pair of borrowed pajamas that belonged to Maria. Curiosly enough, they were both the same size except that Maria was already a little bigger than her in the bust area.  
  
~And she's two years younger than I am...~ Margie thought resentfully.  
  
She rolled over and closed her eyes, trying to go to sleep.  
  
~Where the hell did Bart disappear to?!~  
  
Opening her eyes, she growled in frustration and futilely wished the object of her fury was right there so she could punch him properly.  
  
Knowing she was too frustrated to be able to sleep, she got up and pulled on a thick robe and fuzzy slippers. She'd take a walk. Maybe that would burn off some of her negative energy.  
  
Margie walked down the mostly empty corridors and absentmindedly wondered what time it was. Most of the people who lived here were already asleep or in the process of it. Deciding it was better not to disturb the people, she made her way to a place she knew would lead her to a safe spot outside.   
  
She eventually got to the ladder and trapdoor that lead up to the large, snow-covered balcony. She climbed up and opened the trapdoor quietly. Looking around, she saw that the balcony was already occupied.  
  
Billy and Maria were standing there, staring up at the clear night sky and talking softly. They were standing really close to each other but not quite touching yet.  
  
Margie smiled and felt a warmth inside her at the sight of them. It was so cute. Like their own little hideout...  
  
A sudden thought hit her and her smile widened. She silently climbed back down, careful not to alert them of her prescence, and headed back toward her room. She looked forward to tomorrow when their luck would probably be better and their search would hopefully come to an end. She had an idea of where her renegade might have gone to...  
  
****************************************************   
  
Billy sighed sadly as he looked out the glass pane of his Gear and saw Maria cheerily waving at them from the quickly disappearing snow-covered ruins.  
  
"Couldn't we have stayed a bit longer?" he asked Margie who was sitting behind his seat.  
  
"No. You can visit her anytime you want, Billy, but right now we HAVE to find Bart. We're in the middle of a crisis, remember?"  
  
Billy rolled his eyes heavenward and continued guiding his Gear south. She could be so demanding when she was annoyed. But he caught the worry that laced her tone and remained in her eyes, so he forgave her.  
  
"Where are we heading to next?" he asked.  
  
"Just one more place, Billy," Margie murmured from her cramped seat as she stared out the window at the rising sun. "The old hideout. That's the only place I can think of we haven't visited."  
  
Billy nodded and began leading his Gear that way. The Hideout hadn't been used in nearly two and a half years, but it was a place Bart had spent some of his childhood in. Who knew, they might find him there...  
  
They arrived at the small cave in the sands. Billy could barely make it out because of the outcrop of mountain blocking it from view. Exactly _why_ it was a hideout.  
  
Billy stopped his Gear and opened the hatch, jumping down onto the sand. He turned and reached up to help Margie but she merely raised her eyebrows and jumped down on her own, landing perfectly.  
  
"You forget, I've driven one of these Omnigears before," she said, crossing her arms.  
  
"Yeah, and nearly got yourself killed in the process," he muttered playfully. She stuck her tongue out at him, causing him to laugh.  
  
They walked to the Hideout and stepped in slowly after Margie opened the door. It was unlocked.   
  
"Hmm..." was all she said as they went in. Either Bart was in there, or it had been left like that on accident.  
  
It was so lonely inside. No one had lived here in a long time since it wasn't necessary to hide anymore. Margie went towards Bart's room, where his threatening sign was posted. It had faded a bit over time and dust covered everything, including the message.  
  
Margie didn't even bother to knock. She was angry, right? So she slammed open the door, ready to give him a piece of her mind...  
  
... but all she found was some more dust in an empty room.  
  
Margie and Billy slowly stepped in. No one was there, hadn't been there in a couple of years if the thick layer of dust was any indication.   
  
Margie looked around, her heart sinking. ~He isn't here, either...~  
  
Billy went over to the old bed and shook his head. "Hmm... Doesn't seem like anyone's been here. The bed isn't even rumpled."  
  
Margie didn't say anything as she walked to the desk and saw some of Bart's old eyepatches there. A splash of color in the otherwise brown and gray room caught her attention. She reached out and picked up a small picture frame. Using her fingers to dust it off, she saw it was a picture of a ten year-old blond boy and a small eight year-old brunette girl.  
  
A picture Maison had taken so many years ago of Bart and herself...  
  
Tears threatened for some reason but she quickly blinked them away.  
  
She jumped about three feet in the air when a loud ringing suddenly erupted from behind her. She turned to see Billy holding the crazy alarm clock that had been on the bed's headboard. It was ringing madly in his hands and he turned it off with a sheepish smile.  
  
"Sorry about that." He noticed the sad look darkening her eyes and cleared his throat. "You want to go?"  
  
She nodded wordlessly before walking out ahead of him. Thinking it was better to give her some time, Billy examined the room further.   
  
~Bart is seriously going to pay for doing this to her~ he thought darkly.  
  
He found the picture Margie had been looking at a moment before and grinned when he saw who it was. Bart was sitting crosslegged on the grass and Margie was standing behind him with her arms wrapped around his shoulders and her chin resting on top of his messy hair. They were both smiling.  
  
Considering for a moment, he finally took the picture out of its small frame and stuffed it in his pocket before going after her.   
  
He found her waiting outside, her back turned to him. She was just staring out at the endless sand as the sun got a little higher and the temperature rose a little.  
  
"Ready to go?" he asked, coming up behind her.  
  
She nodded but didn't turn. "I don't want to go back home yet, though. Can we go somewhere else?"  
  
"Yeah, okay. Come on, let's go visit some old friends."  
  
*********************************************  
  
He took her to the Thames. They hadn't visited the town-at-sea in a while, so he thought now was as good a time as any to see how it was doing.  
  
They landed on the large, red mass of steel that the town consisted of and climbed out.   
  
Margie hadn't said a word throughout the trip, but as they walked on deck toward the Screw Elevator and the sea breeze touched her face and fingered her hair, she turned to Billy and gave him a smile that had him sighing in relief. He had really started to get worried.  
  
"You know, this is where we first met, remember? Close to three years ago... When Fei was in a coma. We needed the help of an Etone and almost like you heard our prayers, you showed up."  
  
Billy grimaced and nodded. "Yeah, I remember. When Primera nearly got sold and my dad nearly shot Elly in the head... I sure remember that."  
  
Margie laughed as they continued toward the Screw Elevator. "Oh come on, Billy, it was all just a huge misunderstanding and everything turned out all right. You met us didn't you?"  
  
"Something I firmly regret now because all I've amounted to be is the Great Mother's private chauffeur..."  
  
Margie laughed again and they took the elevator down to the Bridge to greet the Captain. After that it was straight to the Dining Hall where Billy had told her earlier that they could finally have some breakfast. They hadn't eaten since they left Shevat.  
  
They opened the door to the Bridge and were immediately bombarded by all the noise coming from in there. Apparently, the Captain and his First Mate, Hans, were having another argument.  
  
"But Captain, we HAVE to get all of these drunks out of here! They keep FALLING ASLEEP in my chair and on the controls! I cannot work under these conditions!"  
  
"Hans, my boy, calm down. These 'drunks', as you call them, are true men of the sea. They can be anywhere on the Thames they choose to be, including the Bridge as long as I allow. Aren't I the Captain?!"  
  
Hans sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, sir."  
  
"Then what I say, goes! Now go back to your workstation and relax, will you?"  
  
Hans began seething again. "That's what I was just telling you about! I can't! One of your 'men of the sea' has fallen asleep ON MY WORKSTATION!!"  
  
"Oh. Well." The Captain seemed to think deeply. "I know. Have a couple of the boys that aren't too drunk take him down to the Infirmary. That's why I had it made."  
  
Hans turned and left, grumbling under his breath about an infirmiry that housed more drunks than injured.  
  
Billy and Margie had watched this in wide-eyed amusement and Margie began chuckling, causing the Captain to turn and notice their prescence.  
  
"Oh, and who's this lovely lady with the silvery laugh?" he asked with interest as he came closer. He took her hand and pressed a kiss on it, his fur tickling her fingers. "I hope your young man here isn't the jealous type," he said, giving Billy a wink.  
  
This caused Margie to laugh harder.   
  
"You can keep her, for all I care," Billy said with a faint smile.  
  
The Captain grinned and straightened up, letting go of Margie's hand. He looked from one to the other and his smile widened. "Well, if it isn't my old friends. Great to see you two again."  
  
"Likewise, Captain," Margie said as her laughter faded but her smile remained.  
  
"How have you been? I trust everything is okay in Nisan."  
  
"Everything's just fine, Captain," Margie reassured while Billy nodded.  
  
But the Captain shook his head. "Hmm, no, no. I don't think so. You can't lie to this old Captain. I can see the shadow in your usually bright blue eyes, Margie. Something's wrong."  
  
"No-"  
  
"Not another word, young lady," he interrupted before she could finish her protest. "You don't need to explain. We'll see what I can do to help. Now, what did you two come here for?""  
  
Margie shook her head in bewilderment at the sudden change of subject. "We came to have breakfast with you."  
  
"Well, let it never be said that I turned down the invitation of such a pretty lady. Shall we?" he asked, offering his arm. Still confused, Margie took it and he lead her towards the side door. Towards the Beer Hall.  
  
"Um, wouldn't it be quicker to go through the Screw Elevator?" Billy asked, coming behind them.  
  
"Yes, but we need to make a quick stop," the Captain said as he opened the door. "I thought it would be better if we had another guest along for breakfast."  
  
"Who?" Margie asked as they walked into the room full of that stench Margie hated.  
  
He merely pointed with his chin towards the other end of the room, and Margie's heart nearly stopped. Billy whistled behind her.  
  
She saw his golden hair hanging in a braid down his back as he sat at a table about fifteen feet in front of her. She saw his head tilt back as he took a long swallow from a bottle in his hand. He hadn't noticed them yet and probably wouldn't have taken his attention away from the table's surface in front of him if some of the louder drunks hadn't started whistling at the site of the Captain with pretty young lady beside him. He turned in his seat and his groggy gaze focused on them. She saw his sapphire eye focus and then widen when he saw her. He nearly dropped the beer bottle in his hand.  
  
Margie ignored everything around her. The catcalls, Billy's concerned hand on her arm, the Captains quiet comments. All she could focus on was him, sitting there across the room with a surprised look on his face. Her face flushed and she was aware of her heartbeat increasing but she didn't pay it any attention. All the anger that had been festering inside her for him and all the furious words and questions she had planned to hurl at him were forgotten when she saw the sad look he gave her. A look of deep regret.  
  
~He's sorry...~ her mind said mockingly. ~He's sorry... What is he giving me, his pity? No... No! I will not have his pity! I don't want it or need it!~  
  
With one last, hurt look shot his way, she stalked out of the Beer Hall and into the Screw Elevator.  
  
Billy, unsure of what had just happened, debated between going after her or going over to Bart and demanding that _he_ go after her. He decided on the latter.  
  
He dodged around the staggering drunks and tried not to trip over the ones on the floor as he made his way over to Bart, who had turned to stare at the table again.  
  
"Why aren't you going after her?!"  
  
Bart sighed and shook his head. "I don't... I wouldn't know what to tell her..."  
  
"How about explaining why you refused to marry her, for starters!" Billy retorted.  
  
Bart put his beer down and looked up to stare at Billy with a confused frown. "What the hell are you talking about?!"  
  
"The letter, you moron!" When Bart continued to stare at him blankly, he sighed and pulled it out of his trouser pocket then slammed it on the table in front of the man. "This!"  
  
Curiously, much the way Billy had done when Margie had first shown it to him, he unfolded the letter and began reading. His expression brightened steadily as he read and Billy's eyebrows lifted questioningly. ~What the hell is wrong with him...?~  
  
"WHOOPEE!!" Bart cried and leaped up for his chair, knoking it down in the process. He stared at the letter in his hands with a grin and suddenly looked at the confused gunman beside him. "This is it, Billy! This is the answer!"  
  
"What's the answer...?" Billy managed, thinking that his friend had probably had a little too much to drink.  
  
"The letter! It's the answer I've been looking for! Don't you get it! God, you're slow!" Billy glared at this, but Bart didn't notice as he began walking towards the Screw Elevator. "I have to find Margie!"  
  
The pirate got into the elevator and disappeared from view, leaving an all too confused Billy to wonder about what he had been talking about.   
  
~Oh well, it was probably the alcohol talking more than anything...~  
  
**************************************************  
  
Margie was sitting on the deck with her feet dangling over the edge. Tears slid unnoticed down her cheeks and were quickly dried by the cool sea breeze. Behind her, the scavaging Gears continued their work and ignored her as long as she didn't get in their way. The sun warmed her enough that she didn't shiver from being so close to the cold ocean.  
  
~He never wanted me... He never loved me... He couldn' t even say it to my face... Oh God, what am I supposed to do now...?~  
  
She glanced up at the cloudless sky, feeling lost and lonely, like the last leaf on a dying tree. As if the wind could just rip her away and take her where it willed without her being able to do anything about it. She sighed and stared down at the dark blue water. ~What am I to do without him... He's always been such a big part of my life... How can I lose him...~  
  
"Margie!"  
  
She quickly wiped her face as she heard the sound of his voice calling her. She didn't want him to see her crying. ~I don't need more of his pity~ she thought bitterly.  
  
She didn't look up at him, but continued to stare down at the water as he neared her.  
  
"What do you want, Bart?" she sighed.  
  
"We need to talk," was his breathless reply.  
  
"I don't really..." she began on a whisper, but he didn't hear because a Gear passing close by drowned out her voice.  
  
She almost protested when he sat down next to her, but cut herself off in the end. The least they could do, she supposed, was to try to keep a semblance of friendship betweem them. She didn't know if she'd be able to talk to him anytime soon and not feel her heart break again, but she could try. Besides, they had known each other forever. She didn't want to just bury all that as if it didn't count.  
  
"What do we have to talk about, Bart?"  
  
"Well... about... about what happens now and... well... you see, I want to tell you that-"  
  
"Tell me something, Bart," Margie suddenly interrupted, turning to look at him with her eyes slightly narrowed in scrutiny. "What was it? What was the reason behind it? Wasn't I..." she paused to swallow. "Haven't I ever been attractive to you?"  
  
She saw him turn crimson, out of shame or embarrasement she wasn't sure. But it was certainly a first.  
  
"I, I..." He was forced to swallow before continuing. "Margie, you know you're cute and-"  
  
She interrupted him again. "That's not what I meant. I mean, _really_ attract you. Was I what, too tomboyish? Too hardheaded? Too brash? What?"  
  
Now he was frowning. "Margie, what are you talking about?"  
  
"Oh come on, Bart!" she burst out. She couldn't handle him sidestepping her anymore. "Just tell me why! You owe me at least that! What with that stiff, formal letter you sent me!"  
  
He blinked, the confusion in his gaze now even evident to her. "What are you talking about? I didn't send you that letter! Sig did!"  
  
Margie stared at him in complete astonishment and nearly fell from her perch. "W-What?"  
  
"Sigurd sent you that letter in answer to the proposal that he was being asked about," Bart explained. "Didn't you know? Sigurd was the one the law stated you should to marry. He _is_ the firstborn, you know."  
  
Margie continued... gawking at him with her mouth hanging open. "Wha... Sig... Sigurd marry me...?"  
  
"That's what the law stated. The Great Mother to marry the King of Aveh and since in this case, both of us are ruling, it would immediately apply to the firstborn: Sig."  
  
Margie frowned as she tried to process that all through. Sigurd had sent her the letter...? Sig was the one she had been arranged to marry...? But Sig had refused... Then that meant she didn't have to marry him...  
  
"Wait a minute," Bart suddenly said, interrupting her thoughts. She turned to him and saw his frown. "Did you think _I_ had sent you that letter?"  
  
"I, well, yeah... I thought you were the one who the proposal had meant..." she said weakly.  
  
"And you thought I had refused to marry you? Why would you think that?"  
  
"Well, when I got the letter, I immediately assumed..." she suddenly trailed off and her gaze met his. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Why would you think I would refuse to marry you?" he asked, inching closer.  
  
His growing proximity made it harder for her to think, but she was aware of a growing hope within her. "You... you wouldn't have?"  
  
"No way I'd refuse," he whispered with his usual smirk.  
  
"Wh-why wouldn't you?" she stuttered, her breathing quickening as he reached out with his hand and indolently played with a stray lock of her hair.  
  
"Because..." he didn't finish the thought as he leaned in and kissed her.  
  
She didn't have much of her balance left, so when he did this she would've fallen back had he not wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, their lips still fused together in a deep, long awaited kiss. She reached up and cupped his face in her hands, pulling him closer.  
  
He pulled away from the kiss slowly and leaned in to her, his lips grazing her ear. "Because I love you."  
  
Her eyes widened and her face heated a little as a tangle of different emotions surged through her. Some she couldn't identify, but she knew what the most important one was...   
  
She turned to him, her sapphire eyes gleaming with unshed tears and whispered back: "I love you, too."  
  
"I've never heard any other words that made me happier," he said quietly.   
  
She smiled softly at him. "So why did you disappear?" she finally asked, staring down at their entwined fingers.  
  
"Because I had to. When I found out about the law, I didn't know what to do..."  
  
"You could've just talked to me or Sig..."  
  
"You ran off the way I did," he pointed out with a teasing smirk.  
  
She laughed and leaned into his embrace. "Then let's make a promise. Next time, we actually _listen_ to Sig and what he has to say. He can actually be pretty wise."  
  
"Then let's seal the promise," he said, kissing her again.  
  
Just then they heard the sound of running footsteps approaching them and they both pulled away and turned around to see Billy coming towards them from behind. He glanced at Margie worriedly and only relaxed after she gave him a reassuring smile.  
  
"So, you're okay?" he queried.  
  
"Never felt better."  
  
He nodded. "Good. Cause the Captain is complaining about his breakfast getting cold and you ditching him."  
  
***********************************************  
  
Five months later, on the day of her eighteenth birthday, Margie was completely exhausted. She was lying in a comfy sofa in her house and was staring at the flames in her fireplace sleepily.  
  
"Now you know how I feel everyday."  
  
She looked up to see Billy standing in the doorway with his hands stuffed in his pockets and a smile on his lips.  
  
"Long day, huh?" he asked as he stepped in closer to her warm spot.  
  
"Yeah. The planning is going along smoothly, but it's still hectic," Margie yawned. She tried to sit up, but he quickly motioned that she didn't have to as he sank on the floor beside her.  
  
"I haven't seen you all day, so I couldn't say happy birthday or give you your present," he explained as he took a small gift wrapped package from his pocket.  
  
Curiously, Margie took it and began unwrapping it slowly. What she found was a small, pretty picture frame inside. Once she saw the picture, her eyes widened.  
  
"Billy, where did you find it?! I've been looking for it everywhere!" she exclaimed, sitting up and looking at him questioningly.  
  
He grinned at her reaction. "I took it that time so long ago when we went to the Hideout. I forgot I had it until only a couple of months ago. I thought it would make a nice present."  
  
Margie couldn't say much because of the huge lump in her throat. Her eyes told him everything, though, so it wasn't needed.  
  
"Happy birthday, Margie."  
  
  
  
*So people, what did you think? I'm still debating on whether Gears can fly or not because in the game, you can't travel over water with them. But on the Thames, when you only have Fei and Elly, they glide over the water to get to the Yggdrassil... Hmm. Oh well. Remember to review, peoples! =) * 


End file.
